Who are you dancing for?
Dictionary.com’s definition of dance is to 1. move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. And 2. (of a person) move in a quick and lively way.
My definition of dance flows more with definition number 2.
I am always telling people when it comes to dancing to just move every part of your body and to just be confident.
I love dancing.
Carefree, jubilant, joyous, ridiculous, outlandish dancing.
It’s my favorite kind.
I noticed a pattern in my life, when I am put in a situation (such as training camp) where I am around people I don’t know, sometimes I feel the need to try to stand out.
During a time like training camp, when you’re meeting 45 people that you’re about to spend 11 months with, there is this heavy expectation.
Expectation to be more. To be carefree. To be jubilant. To be joyous, ridiculous and outlandish.
I’ve known a lot of people to go into situations like this quietly, and then as they get to know people they begin to open up. And that makes sense, right?
That seems that’s how it should all happen.
Yet, for me, I seem to do the complete opposite.
I go in strong.
I go in trying to be outgoing. Dancing whenever I can.
Trying to be seen. So that I won’t be forgotten. Man, do I fear being forgotten.
And then as people begin to feel comfortable and start being themselves, I start to fade out.
And just like my dancing there’s no rhyme or reason. There’s no beat to follow along to guide me with it.
My mind and the reasoning behind the way I do things, makes no sense. And I am so aware of that.
By day 7 of training camp, I wasn’t dancing for everyone else.
I was just dancing for me.
I would wake up at 6am to walk up to the port-a-potty and dance along the way. Just for me. Cause it’s fun. And gives me joy.
My friend Kelly Anne and I, one morning, after realizing we hadn’t made a bowel movement in like 3 days, thinking it was going to happen one morning were doing this weird hip dance to the port-a-potty to try to get things moving. So fun. Probably the highlight of my day that day.
Later in that day, one of our squad mates, Matt, told us how he was getting out of his tent and saw us walking out of the camp site doing that and how funny it was to him.
We don’t have to have all this expectation on us. It’s there, yes. We’ll always feel it.
But, let’s just rest in the fact that we are children of God. We are His.
We ARE enough.
We won’t be forgotten.
He won’t forget us. Because He loves us too dang much.
Who are you dancing for?
Dance for you.
Dance in that quick and lively way where you’re moving every part of your body while owning every second of it.
